I knew in high school that I wasn't like most girls. I was perfectly comfortable with who I was. I was the girl to show up to school in sweatpants and sweatshirt with my hair in a ponytail. I didn't need a boyfriend to be happy, and it was an extremely rare occasion to see me wearing make up. I had no interest in being a part of the "cool" crowd and I never even considered changing my personality for anyone. I had a blast in high school and that's because I was true to myself and I didn't care who judged me along the way.

I didn't realize how unusual this was for a girl at the time. Now that I am in college, I see the bigger picture. I can see how many girls struggle with no confidence and low self-esteem. I have seen girls who think the only way to have a good time or to feel confident is to get wasted at a party. I scroll through social media and see selfies that are so edited it doesn't even look like the same person.

Unfortunately, it seems like this is becoming the norm. It's now uncommon to be the girl who doesn't care what people think or the girl who would rather get some extra sleep than party. While it's fine to go to parties, my point is that there are other ways to have fun and many girls use alcohol as a security blanket to hide their insecurities. I wish that they could see how many other great experiences are out there. For example, finding a good group of friends to hang out with or going on vacation with family is far more precious than any time spent trying to be someone you're not.

However, it's not easy being the girls who are comfortable in their own skin either. We are surrounded by things that we have no interest in and sometimes it's difficult not to give in to peer pressure. There are many crowds where we feel like we just don't fit in. We are so sure of ourselves and who we are that we know where we belong. It's not us being goody two-shoes, it's us respecting ourselves and knowing that we don't need to settle because we are already completely comfortable with who we are.

It's sad that so many girls hide behind make up, alcohol, and social media. I wish that all of the self-consciousness and lack of confidence could be pushed aside so that girls could be who they truly are. I wish that everyone could be comfortable enough in their own skin to not care about how they look when they go out in public. There are so many amazing opportunities that life can provide if only people could step out of their comfort zone and discover who they really are.